UFC on Fox 11 Prelims: 5 Reasons to Watch

Just three days removed from its last event, the
Ultimate Fighting Championship, apparently hell bent on making
us all tap to strikes with its sheer volume of programming, returns
with
UFC on Fox 11 on Saturday at the Amway Center in Orlando,
Fla.

Just prior, Fox Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass will handle the
undercard, which will showcase several notable matchups, including
a lightweight clash pitting Rafael dos
Anjos against Khabib
Nurmagomedov.

This pairing of top 155-pound talents is particularly crucial, even
within a division in which parity is the rule rather than the
exception. Dos Anjos will walk into the matchup riding a five-fight
winning streak, during which he topped the likes of Evan Dunham,
Mark
Bocek and Donald
Cerrone. In Nurmagomedov, the Brazilian faces a man who has
never before experienced defeat. The unbeaten Dagestani has been
perfect through 21 pro outings, topping Thiago
Tavares, Abel
Trujillo and Pat Healy last
year.

The winner of this fight will likely stand a victory away from a
title shot, considering lightweight champion Anthony
Pettis’ planned “Ultimate Fighter” coaching stint opposite
Gilbert
Melendez. However, plenty of elite competition is out there for
the victor. I would love to see a matchup with either Josh Thomson
or T.J.
Grant, provided they can get healthy this year. Alternatively,
a booking with the winner of Benson
Henderson’s clash with Rustam
Khabilov also has me chomping at the bit. I have a feeling 2014
is going to be quite a year for the lightweights, and either
Nurmagomedov or dos Anjos will be a big part of that.

This pivotal lightweight clash is but one reason to tune in for the
UFC on Fox 11 prelims. Here are four more:

‘GAMEBRED’ AND THE GRIZZLY

If Jorge
Masvidal fighting Pat Healy does
not get your blood pumping, then you need to find a new sport. Good
luck trying to name two more game fighters in any weight class.
These guys can flat-out tear down the house, and they have made
careers out of doing precisely that.

Masvidal is the more technical puncher, to be sure. The Floridian
would be wise to watch the masterful paint job that Bobby Green
put on Healy, just as Healy would be wise to watch Khabilov’s gutsy
decision victory over Masvidal.

If Healy can close the distance and grind on his lankier foe, this
one should go the way of the Sports Lab export. Conversely, if
Masvidal can keep Healy on the end of his jab and avoid expending
too much energy in the first two rounds, it should be smooth
sailing for the former Strikeforce title challenger.

Which of these lightweights will right his ship in this intriguing
style matchup and get back in the win column?

TWO YEARS WITHOUT THIAGO

Photo:
Sherdog.com

Alves last fought in 2012.

If you do not watch it carefully, time has a habit of getting away
from you. Such is the case with Thiago
Alves.

When Alves’ bout with Seth
Baczynski was announced, I basically performed a double-take at
my computer screen. I had all but forgotten about “Pitbull,” not
because his talent was easy to overlook but rather due to his long
bout of inactivity.

After a few moments, however, the Alves memories began to flood
through my head. The American Top Team representative rattled off
seven straight wins from October 2006 to October 2008, the most
memorable of which was likely his crushing technical knockout of
hall of famer Matt Hughes.
Despite missing weight for that bout, Alves was nevertheless
dominant, burying the former champion with a nasty knee at UFC
85.

It has been two years since Alves has stepped into the Octagon. How
will he perform when he meets Baczynski?

MY MEIN MAN

Jordan
Mein is hopping back into the Octagon for his first time since
Matt
Brown put the hurt on him one year ago, and I could not be
happier.

Mein is just 24 years old but already has 36 pro fights to his
credit. Prior to the Brown defeat, the Canadian had won nine of his
previous 10, with his only loss in that span coming to Tyron
Woodley in a split decision. Despite his age, “Young Guns”
possesses some of the smoothest boxing in the welterweight
division, and I think he is just a piece or two away from becoming
a serious contender at 170 pounds.

Now paired with Hernani
Perpetuo, Mein will look to erase the memory of his defeat to
Brown at the expense of the reigning Shooto
titlist. Can he get the job done?

FLYWEIGHTS UP FIRST

The men hunting Demetrious
Johnson are arguably the most talented competitors in all the
UFC.

The flyweight division has steadily grown and improved over the
last two years, and Dustin
Ortiz is a fine example of the strides the UFC’s lightest
division has taken in recent times. Ortiz was initially expected to
face Alptekin
Ozkilic at UFC Fight Night 40, but that pairing was pulled just
a week out from the event when “The Turkish Delight” went down with
an injury.

As a result, Ortiz will now square off with unbeaten Octagon
newcomer Ray Borg. This
could be a dangerous fight for Ortiz, who enters into this
confrontation on the heels of a controversial split decision defeat
to John
Moraga in January.

The ground game is where these flyweights work best, but I am also
interested in the striking that may unfold in this bout. The
standup exchanges could easily decide which of these up-and-comers
walks away with the win.

Which of these flyweight prospects will use the other as a stepping
stone on his way to bigger things?